Tuesday, May 26, 2009

‘When Is Success a Failure?’

When Is Success a Failure?
President Hugh B. Brown

When you are doing the lower while the higher is
possible,
When you are not a cleaner, finer, larger man on
account of your work,
When you live only to eat and drink, have a good time,
and accumulate money, then success is a failure.
When you do not carry a higher wealth in your
character than in your pocketbook,
When the attainment of your ambition has blighted the
aspirations and crushed the hopes of others,
When hunger for more money, more land, more houses
and bonds has grown to be your dominant passion,
When your profession has made you a physical wreck—
a victim of ‘nerves’ and moods,
When your absorption in your work has made you
practically a stranger to your family,
When your greed for money has darkened and cramped
your wife’s life, and deprived her of self-expression, of
needed rest and recreation, of amusement of any kind,
When all sympathy and fellowship have been crushed out
of your life by selfish devotion to your vocation,
When you do not overtop your vocation,
When you are not greater as a man than as a lawyer, a merchant, a
physician or a scientist,
When you plead that you have never had time to
cultivate your friendships, your politeness, or your good manners,
When you have lost on your way your self-respect, your
courage, your self-control, or any other quality of
manhood, then success has been a failure.
(In Conference Report, Apr. 1969, 113.)

Friday, May 1, 2009

Ripples Of Life's Decision


Life is full of choices. It allows us to be happy, and to learn right from wrong. No matter how insignificant we may think those choices are, the consiquences of it will always have a rippling effect on the eternity of our life. 
At an early childhood, I was thought that I must not drink coffee or tea. The things I partake can either benefit or harm my body and I have to be wise on it. As a Latter Day-Saint, I know what to do when the time comes and somebody offer me alcoholic beverage, or asked me to smoke, or partake of anything which can be harmful for my body. A friend of mine asked me to drink tea one time when we were eating at Tokyo Tokyo, and she's briving me she won't tell anybody and she'll give me one thousand pesos if I do. That I have to think of (haha), but I had made my decision prior to the offer, and I must stick to it. I'm grateful for that decision, I'm blessed with good health, aside from minor cough, cold, or flu, I experienced nothing soo serious about my health.

When I was in college, I had a very meager allowance, its not more than a thousand pesos monthly ( year 2001). I had packed lunch everyday, and I try to be as thrifty as I could. I also decided, that I must pay my tithing as soon as I receive it. There are times that I know it'll never be enough to meet the expenses, I don't know how but I was never in financial debt. I was able to buy some things I wanted at the end of the month.

We gain friends on our journey, they always come and go. I witnessed how some stopped coming to church simply to avoid someone who offended them. Right then, I promised myself, no matter what people do, no matter how hurtful it maybe for me, I will stay in the church and never be offended. So far, I never had been offended, and if I do one day, I know there will only be one place where I can gather strength... my home and the church inseparable. 

As part of the  Young Women organization in the church, almost eight years ago. My teachers taught me how important family is, that our family can be together forever for all eternity. I know there can be something more than "till death do us part" when we marry, and I wanted it to be "for all time and all eternity". I understand a standard must be set when dating, the kind of people you date, definitely has something to do with the kind of person you will marry. The choice of whom I will date, and  many more has helped me finally find my eternal companion now. We now have our one year old daughter and when I look at her and hold her I know she'll be a part of me forever, for all eternity and so is my eternal companion. 

There are still lots of choices to make. No matter how difficult the choices maybe, it is choosing the right one that leads us to the abundant blessings in life. When we prove ourselves in doing what's right, we prove ourselves worthy of these blessings.